Haven Pilot Review

The SyFy channel’s new series Haven opens on a bad note. The pilot episode showed an old formula being used badly: normal criminal investigators turned paranormal investigators (The X-Files, Warehouse 13) in a strange town (Eureka, Twin Peaks). This has been used mostly by the syfy channel for quite some time and it doesn’t make sense why they would want another show like this when they have so many already, which are better. It’s time to move on, SYFY channel. Stop working the X-Files angle; it’s over used. The plot in Haven and everything else is, for lack of a better word, cheap. The town of Haven is filled with those with powers who cause trouble. A Plot like this is not sustainable in a series. The lead characters are trying to unravel the mystery of the town of Haven to reveal their own histories and one’s an orphan with ties to the town, while the paranormal phenomena are always caused by people with supernatural abilities. Since these investigations comprise most of the show, there is little room for variety and more room for predictability because it’s a small town and the issue will always be resolved by either killing or calming the person with powers. There is little value in a show that has the same outcome every episode. Resolving the emotional issues of a person with superpowers gets old fast.

As for the characters, FBI agent Audrey Parker is one of the better aspects of the show, while her partner is dull and poorly acted. His character seems almost like a gimmick, a cop who feels no pain, literally. If they had made his “superpower” unmentioned, they could have played with it a bit more and revealed it progressively rather than make him Mr. Gets-Shot-A-Lot. Between the two there’s very little chemistry, which makes the long process of watching them interact for of the episode agenizing. In the end, Haven is one of the worst of its type, and the comparisons between itself and the shows it attempts to copy will always leave it lacking.